Cover UVA football, Charlottesville VA

I've heard crazy stories over the years. There was a writer at the Rose Bowl several years back who blew his East Coast deadline because he forgot there was a 3-hour time difference. He was on written warning at the time and it eventually got him fired.

A writer I worked with once filed a gamer with the wrong dateline, day of the week and final score. If I hadn't been in the office to see it, I never would have believed it, even though the writer was beyond incompetent.

I know of a writer who couldn't get to a NCAA Tournament game because they couldn't find their rental car.

But just not filing? Wow...

 

I'm not sure which story is better: The Chik-fil-A Bowl where he didn't file on consecutive days because first he was stuck in traffic and then his car battery was stolen; or when he covered UVa. in the baseball super regional and was set to file a gamer and a sidebar. Well after filing deadline, and this is baseball, mind you, which is the easiest sport in the world to write a running gamer, he spikes the sidebar and files a seven-inch gamer with no quotes. I guess he thought doing radio for the team was more important.

 

UVA/VaTech football games are going to get a lot better in the upcoming years. Plus, C'ville is a really cool place to live.

 

Is this a union paper? I can't figure out how he wasn't canned after it happened a second time.

 

No, not a union paper.

 

Not a union paper, but it's the same chain and same state where a SE at a similar-sized shop was kept around for a long time after doing worse.

I probably shouldn't get into details, but I don't think most instances were as clear cut as "just not filing." I think there tended to be little communication and lots of excuses.

 

As someone who stood out in the freezing rain calling in gamers from a pay phone on more than one occasion when my laptop freaked out and I couldn't get a cell signal in Bumblefuck County, I find the notion of covering a game and not actually filing a story equal parts stunning and ridiculous.

Now as for missing deadlines ... I've done that once or 2,000 times, but the desk always got something from me at some point.

 

He also didn't file from UVa.'s women's basketball media day because "nothing happened."

 

Any time I wonder if I'm really good enough to get a college beat at some point, I read this. And the confidence level goes up a bit.

Nothing happened. Classic.

 

How do you even get a second chance after not filing?

 

I think we know which paper and which SE (and which managing editor hired him), but that's another story for another time, one which has been covered already. Anyway, this will be a good gig for someone. UVa is about to get very good in football.

 

In another life, I'd be all over this job. Alas, far too comfortable with my current hours and actually being able to see my wife and kids on the regular for the first time.

I'll say this much for whoever gets it: Being paid to hang around Mike London from August to January is a plum freaking assignment. The guy is a Class-A human being all the way. Not many better in the coaching business these days, I'd imagine.